The LSU Tigers ended the Alabama Crimson Tide’s College Football Playoff hopes with a 32-31 overtime victory.
The LSU Tigers shocked the world earlier this week when they were ranked 10th in the nation by the College Football Playoff selection committee. That made their matchup against the No. 6 Alabama Crimson Tide that much more important. Not only could a win by LSU eliminate Alabama from the Playoff, but also clear a path to a semifinal berth for themselves.
On Saturday, the Tigers gave the Crimson Tide one hell of a fight, taking a 24-21 lead with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. Yet, Alabama would force overtime on a game-tying field goal by Will Reichard.
Once overtime occurred, Alabama took a 31-24 lead on a one-yard touchdown run by Roydell Williams. But LSU needed just one play on their turn, as quarterback Jayden Daniels ran for a 25-yard touchdown. All they needed to do was kick an extra point to force overtime.
Instead, head coach Brian Kelly went for the win. On a two-point conversion, Daniels connected on a pass to Mason Taylor to win the game for the Tigers.
Twitter reacts to LSU defeating Alabama in overtime
Social media users reacted to LSU picking up the huge win, and also poked fun at Alabama for essentially getting eliminated from Playoff contention.
It was a true gutsy call by Kelly, as he finally picked up a win over Alabama after previous attempts as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Daniels showcased his talent at the expense of Alabama’s defense, completing 22-of-32 pass attempts for 182 yards and two touchdowns while running for 95 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries.
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young had a rough game to start, but he showed up in the clutch late in the fourth quarter by escaping multiple LSU defenders to hit Ja’Corey Brooks for a 41-yard touchdown. As for how he performed on the night, Young recorded 25 completions for 328 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
LSU will look to carry this momentum into their game against the Arkansas Razorbacks next week. Meanwhile, Alabama will take on an Ole Miss team that is returning from a bye week.
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